Changed by Fire (Phoenix Rising #6) - Harper Wylde Page 0,109

know that’s banned!” I racked my brain, trying to figure out when he would have been able to get it done without any of us ever having noticed. From what I understood, the surgery wasn’t comfortable, even for a shifter with increased healing abilities.

“You had a vasectomy?” Nix asked, her voice betraying the shock she must have felt. She studied him, seemingly thinking it over as a blush rode her cheeks, tinting them the prettiest shade of pink as it washed over her golden skin. “What about, you know, scarring and stuff?”

The corner of Killian’s mouth quirked up, and I bit my tongue to contain a laugh as I realized she meant she hadn’t seen a scar when she’d used her mouth on him. “No, I said I decided to get one. I didn’t say I actually got one. I planned it out. I was going to go when I was supposed to be on a training flight. I’d claim problems with the plane that would allow me to stay for a day or two.” Hm. Interesting. The plan might have worked, but I still couldn’t condone his recklessness. The Council killing him wasn’t a turn of phrase, they really would have executed him for that. Despite the fact that a vasectomy could be reversed, it would have been considered treason.

His green eyes warmed as they studied Nix, and he reached out to tangle his fingers in her long hair. “Then I picked you up from the airport and everything changed.” My Gargoyle grumbled, and relief flowed through us as I realized he hadn’t actually put himself in danger on our watch.

“Do you still want to have it done?” Nix inquired, chewing on her pillowy bottom lip again. I wanted to throw open our link and see what she wanted. We had steered clear of any conversation regarding children, and now, with Killian’s confession, it was all I could think about. Did she want to have children with us? All of us? I bit my tongue, knowing now was not the time to push her.

Killian smiled, his green eyes heating. “I kind of like the idea of expanding our fluffle at some point actually. Things are… easier now, between my Puca and me. I’m still trying, still struggling,” he admitted, “but it’s better than it was.” Nix was brilliantly red now, making me chuckle.

“I could definitely see little pucas running around,” Theo growled, then laughed as more heat flushed Nix’s face and neck.

“That’s still a ways off,” Nix warned, though a smile tilted her mouth up.

“We know,” Theo, Ryder, and Killian all replied in the same rush of breath, making her giggle.

When eyes turned to Joshua, he grimaced. “Well, I’m sorry that I’m going to take the amusement level down here. My secret isn’t upbeat.” Even with my walls up, it wasn’t hard to read the fear on Joshua’s face.

Nix scooted over, grasped his hands, and squeezed them softly. “Hey. I’ll love you no matter what your secret is.”

“We all will,” Hiro assured him firmly. I caught movement from the corner of my eye and saw Ryder shift, his hands balling into fists. My brow wrinkled as I studied him for a moment before my attention was drawn back to Joshua. He was shaking slightly, and I wondered exactly what confession my newest brother could have that would provoke this kind of reaction.

“Many people don’t know that basilisks don’t come into their venom until they reach puberty. No one’s really sure why, though some speculate it’s so we don’t accidentally kill our parents, siblings, ourselves, or something like that,” Joshua explained quietly, his blue eyes shadowed as he studied the ceiling. “There’s a reason we keep it quiet—too many other creatures would attempt to assassinate us while we were vulnerable if they knew. It’s not unusual for a basilisk to gain their venom until their late teens, but when they do, it’s a cause for celebration, a mark of adulthood.”

“Like a period,” Nix blurted. Color seeped into her cheeks, even as Joshua barked out a surprised laugh. I couldn’t blame him, I swallowed a hasty chuckle myself.

“I really hadn’t made that analogy before, but yes, I guess it’s similar,” he conceded.

“Sorry, just ignore me.” Nix waved her hand at him, her head ducked as she peered up through her lashes.

“Well, I got my period,” he teased, making her shove her shoulder against his. The levity faded from him as he shifted, angling himself slightly as his eyes flashed to mine.